Passion is a powerful feeling or desire for something that we want whereas purpose is the reason for which something is done. Passion is about extreme interest.
For example: If an individual is highly passionate about singing and wants to become a singer. To follow his/her passion or the extreme interest in singing, he/she will put in extra efforts to reach that height. It is now their purpose of life to become a well-known singer and to turn their passion into a paycheck.
The purpose is something which an individual does intentionally. It is not something that you do by accident.
The problem arises when people get confused between these two terms as they end up doing something they are passionate for a shorter period of time. Knowing the difference between the two is extremely important. Your passions will change. Therefore, it is important to find out what you’re extremely passionate about to discover the true purpose of your life.
Passion is something that really gets you going whereas purpose is the deep reason for your existence. Before coming on the conclusion which of them is more important, let us discuss what the differences between the two are.
“Allow your passion to become your purpose, and it will one day become your profession.”
Passion is about your emotions.
Passion is driven by our energy and emotions. Passion is the strong and compelling emotion that you have towards something.
We often do things because we like them and it makes us happy. Singers sing because it is something that makes them happy. Similarly, we all do one or the other activity because of certain emotions attached to it. Passion is that emotional spark behind our dreams.
It is something that we all need to have in our life. It is critically important to have passion because you won’t be able to succeed in life if you don’t have passion. It is very important to recognize your real passion if you think you are interested in a lot of things and are passionate about too many things.
Related: 108 Best Passion Quotes To Find Purpose In Life Again
Purpose is the reason.
Reasons can be by accident or intended. But the purpose is the deep reason which is always intended.
One can have interests in too many things or can have too many passions. But the purpose is always singular. The purpose is your motivation, your reasons, and your way that helps you to achieve and fulfill your passion. If you do nothing to fulfill your passion, that passion is useless. But when you make a path to pursue your dream and follow your passion, you’re doing it with a purpose.
If there’s something you’re truly passionate about, you’d try to find a way that can help you lead a fulfilling and successful life.
Your motivation and the reasons that keep you going and drives you forward to achieve your passion is your purpose. There is always a purpose, or a reason behind that keeps you moving forward.
“If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you directly to your purpose.”
Passion can be about selfish motives. Purpose can’t.
You can pursue a passion for your own pleasure because you like it. You like it which is why you’re doing it.
Many people follow their passion without being selfish. But it can include selfish elements. It happens because our passion is all about our needs, comfort, and desire. If a person follows their passions, it because it makes them happy and makes them feels good.
You might become selfish if you put yourself above before other people who might actually need it. It can be self-indulgent. In such a situation, you might not think about others who would really need that opportunity. But a purpose is selfless and is not about being selfish.
Purpose involves serving joy and putting others first. It may require you to put aside your own feelings. Having a purpose will guide you and give you the direction to achieve your passion.
Passion is uncontrolled and can change. Purpose is much more focused.
You can have too many passions, and your passion might change whereas purpose is much more focused.
Your passion might change from time to time. You might discover new things in life and may feel passionate about it. However, purpose is singular and is much more focused. It will not be wrong to say that passion may come and go, but the purpose is forever.
Your purpose of life might not change if you fail to obtain it at a point of time. You might add another purpose to your list. But at least you won’t be changing your purpose until you’ve completed the previous one. Purpose is much more specific that you decide for your long term. It is the long term goal of your life, unlike passion which may change.
“Believe in your heart that you’re meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles.” — Roy Bennett
Passion is what whereas Purpose is why.
Your passion is simply what you love to do or what your favorite hobbies are. It is about the favorite things that you simply love to do or enjoy the most.
It can be writing blogs, editing videos, or designing graphics. It can be anything that you enjoy the most. We can say that passion answers “what” do you love or “what” things you desire the most.
On the other hand, the purpose is about the “why.” It is your motivation, your why which will guide you and give you a direction. It will help in shaping your identity. Passion will add to your personality whereas purpose will add to your identity.
Purpose vs. Passion: Which is more important?
Now that we know the differences between both the terms, let’s talk on which is more important.
Passion is a form of energy which is much needed. It is important to be passionate about something. But can we live without a purpose? Can we lead a fulfilling and successful life without having a purpose?
We all must follow our passion or do something that we love the most. But is following the passion key to success? Can we achieve success without having any purpose in our lives?
Let’s talk about why passion is important and why having a purpose is important and then decide which of them is more important.
“There is no Passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” — Nelson Mandela
What’s the importance of passion? Why is it important for success in life?
Passion is something that will push you to work hard. It is something that will keep you going to achieve your specific goals.
You won’t be able to succeed if you don’t have that spark that you’re passionate about something. It is very important to find something that you’re truly passionate about to accomplish the heights of success. Many people who do 9 to 5 jobs feel that they are missing out on something because they are doing something they are not passionate about.
You might love your existing job. But if you’re not truly passionate about it, one or other day you’ll feel exhausted and get tired.
Money is the most important thing. But it is important that you follow your passion and prioritize your passion and interests, even more than the money. Other than skill and knowledge, passion is a must to attain success in life. Passion is the key to success.
Successful players, film directors, actors, novelists, scientists, and many others have been able to achieve that success in their life because they were passionate about it.
The invention of Facebook has changed our everyday lives. It is all because Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg also followed his passion instead of falling for money.
Late Steve Jobs, Apple’s ex-CEO also highly believed in the power of passion. He always asked people to follow their passion and do what they really love in their lives. Following his passion was his first principle. He believed that passion makes the whole difference and can make the world a better place.
There are many more who have achieved heights of success because they listened to their hearts and followed their passion.
Why you should have a life purpose?
The problem arises when you have discovered your interest area and your passion. But you don’t know the why or the purpose.
So, let us now discuss the importance of having a purpose.
When you don’t have a purpose, there are chances that you become unhappy and demotivated. However, when you have a purpose, you’d be able to find meaning in things and live a much better life.
Finding a purpose is very important because:
- It will create a sense of meaning. You know your purpose, and you know what you’re good at and what not. You know how you can contribute to the world by doing what you can.
- It will keep you focused because when you know your purpose, you can easily target and decide what things matter in your life and what are the things that you should be focusing on.
- It gives you clarity. When you know your purpose, you are not going to waste your time on other random things. You’d be clear about what goals you want to achieve and how you can achieve them.
- It will boost your confidence levels. When you know your purpose, or you are aware of the reason for your deep existence, you’d become more confident. This way you’ll be able to contribute to the world in a much better way.
- It makes life easier. When you know what your purpose is you’d spend lesser time and energy on other things which will make your journey easier.
“Purpose is the reason you journey. Passion is the fire that lights your way.”
Having a purpose will make you feel passionate about your goals.
Knowing your passion will push you to work hard in order to achieve those goals. But having a purpose will allow you focus and help you in following your passion.
You can have too many passions throughout your life. But you’ll always have only one purpose.
Purpose is the mission that you are set to accomplish and fulfill. The benefits of having purposes in life are many. However, the problem may occur when your passion is not your purpose. Many people know what they are passionate about. But there are very few who know about their purposes. There are very few who can describe the reasons for their existence. You may develop new passions at different stages of life, and it is very important to identify and discover what your real purpose is.
You may take a wrong road if you confuse your passion with your purpose.
Sometimes, it’s not about passion. It’s about having a purpose in your life.
We all may have heard people saying find your passion and do something you’re passionate about. But rarely anyone talks about finding purpose in life.
And at times one can even have unrealistic interests and passions. Therefore, it is important to have a purpose in your life.
“As long as you’ve got passion, faith and are willing to work hard, you can do anything you want in this life.”
Passion alone doesn’t guarantee success.
Being passionate about something is important for a successful life. But passion alone doesn’t guarantee success.
Sometimes, you even have to let go of passion when you don’t have any purpose because passion is driven by emotions, feelings, and energy whereas purpose is driven by reasons.
And it is much important to have purpose and reasons for a successful life.
Passion is important, but it is not enough. You need to have a purpose because having a purpose is likely to make you more successful than passion alone can.
It is important that we hear the positive stories about the success related to passion. But it is important to examine the failure and understand that passion alone is nothing when we are not living a life on purpose.
We cannot say that passion is important and purpose is not or purpose is important, and passion is not. Both are equally important, and a combination of both is needed for a successful life.
Passion will make your life exciting and interesting. But having a life without purpose is aimless. You should know the difference between the two and try to find a balance between the two to make your life more worthwhile and meaningful.
Find your passion and then look for your purpose.
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